Bronny James, the eldest son of NBA legend LeBron James, will know in a few weeks’ time whether he will have the opportunity to play pro basketball with his father in 2024. Bronny has emerged as a polarizing prospect after a so-so freshman season at USC…but a strong performance at the draft combine, where he showed deadly accuracy from 3-point range.

Whereas many experts see Bronny as a second-round pick — perhaps as one of the final selections — there is a chance that the 19-year-old could make a late surge up draft boards, especially if LeBron continues to imply that drafting his son means a team might be able to tempt him to leave the Los Angeles Lakers. And a new revelation could provoke just the surge for which Bronny and LeBron could be looking.

Bronny’s academic performance under scrutiny

Prior to committing to USC, Bronny attended Sierra Canyon, a high school/preparatory institution in Los Angeles. Although his precise grade-point average is unknown, his player bio on the Trojans‘ website reveals that he made the honor roll while in high school — which, at Sierra Canyon, means that a student would have had to maintain a 3.5 GPA or better over multiple semesters.

With Bronny’s senior-year GPA situated above 3.5, NBA teams in doubt over where to select him (or whether to select him at all) could come down to how highly a front office values his academic performance. A high GPA shows commitment and maturity — which could help Bronny’s draft stock and perhaps elevate him into the first round, where LeBron’s Lakers will be picking 17th overall.